CamTalks

This episode is proudly supported by:Alderney ElectricityPowering our island and supporting the community that keeps Alderney moving.http://alderney-elec.comBell & CoTrusted local experts for renting, buying or relocating to Alderney.http://bellandcoalderney.comChannel SeawaysKeeping Alderney supplied, connected and running every single day.https://www.channelseaways.ggToday I’m talking to Beth Chapman — born and raised on Alderney, part of the family behind Bell & Co, school governor, PTA stalwart and one of those people quietly holding the island together.Beth grew up here, left for Guernsey at 16, saw the wider world and made a deliberate choice to come home. Now she’s raising her own children on the island, working alongside her parents, and helping shape Alderney’s future from the ground up.This conversation is about how small places actually function when people step up.We talk about childhood on Alderney, leaving young and coming back with perspective, working in a multi-generation family business, and why kids here still get something most places have lost — freedom, safety and time.We also get practical.Housing. Rentals. Key workers. Schools. Fundraising. Transport.Beth explains how Bell & Co use Facebook ads to sell lifestyle, not property, building real relocation demand and bringing new families to the island.We go deep on community effort — from raising £50,000 for a school playground, to running football clubs, theatre groups and PTA work — and why Alderney’s future depends less on policy and more on ordinary people doing the work.This is a grounded, honest look at island life.No nostalgia.No brochure gloss.Just how things really work.LET’S CONNECT 👇Listen on Apple Podcasts:http://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/camtalks/id1479296317Listen on Spotify:http://open.spotify.com/show/7lHojlnWyTUneaEpkcBgKS?si=09035669ff454537Instagram:http://instagram.com/camcairnduffLinkedIn:http://linkedin.com/in/cameroncairnduffTikTok:http://tiktok.com/@camcairnduffFacebook:http://facebook.com/cameronfilmsYouTube:http://youtube.com/@camcairnduff

This episode is proudly supported by:Alderney ElectricityPowering our island and supporting the community that keeps Alderney moving.http://alderney-elec.comBell & CoTrusted local experts for renting, buying or relocating to Alderney.http://bellandcoalderney.comChannel SeawaysKeeping Alderney supplied, connected and running every single day.https://www.channelseaways.ggToday I’m talking to Jeannie Cameron, newly elected Chair of Alderney’s Policy & Finance Committee — the island’s most senior decision-making role.Jeannie’s life started in Sydney. She grew up between two very different worlds: a bohemian, artistic mother and a disciplined military father. That mix shaped a career that took her into Australian parliament, international diplomacy, the United Nations and some of the most complex negotiations on the planet.Now she’s brought all of that experience to a 2,000-person island — and says it’s the hardest job she’s ever had.In this episode we talk about what the Policy & Finance Committee actually does, why Alderney is self-governing, how global treaties really get negotiated, the decline of international institutions, freedom of speech, digital infrastructure, economic survival, innovation versus stagnation and why small systems can be harder to fix than big ones.We also go deep on Alderney politics: Code of Conduct complaints, social media pressure, leadership in a fishbowl, collective decision-making, why progress feels slow and what has to change if young people are going to have a future here.This is thoughtful, honest and occasionally emotional.Not politics for clicks.Politics for people who actually care about where they live.LET’S CONNECT 👇Listen on Apple Podcasts:http://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/...Listen on Spotify:http://open.spotify.com/show/7lHojlnW...Instagram:  / camcairnduff  LinkedIn:  / cameroncairnduff  TikTok:  / camcairnduff  Facebook:  / cameronfilms  YouTube:   / @camcairnduff  

This episode is proudly supported by:

• Alderney Electricity
  Powering our island and supporting the community that keeps Alderney moving.
  alderney-elec.com
• Bell & Co
  Trusted local experts for renting, buying or relocating to Alderney.
  bellandcoalderney.com
• Channel Seaways
  Keeping Alderney supplied, connected and running every single day.
  channelseaways.gg

Today I’m talking to the man behind Nellie Grey’s Indian Restaurant, a place that’s fed Alderney through quiet winters, chaotic Augusts, birthdays, break-ups, reunions and those “we’ve just landed, we need a curry” moments.

Matt’s story starts in Bangladesh. He moved to Lancashire at 12, learned kitchens the hard way, followed opportunity to Jersey with a small bag and a five-day plan that somehow turned into 11 years. He ran delivery businesses, cooked for thousands, made mistakes, learned business the long way round and eventually found himself walking into an empty restaurant on Alderney that felt like it was calling him in.

That restaurant became Nellie Grey’s.

In this episode we talk about growing up without his parents, learning English later than most, falling in love with cooking by following caterers around as a kid, the moment he first stepped into Nellie Grey’s and knew it was the place, how Ray Parkin tested him before backing him, why staying open through winter matters, what Alderney gets right about community, the truth about chicken tikka masala, staff curry, secret dishes, spice versus heat and why he later decided to open the fish and chips too.

It’s warm, funny and properly Alderney. You’ll finish this one hungry.

• Listen on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/camtalks/id1479296317
• Listen on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7lHojlnWyTUneaEpkcBgKS
• Instagram: instagram.com/camcairnduff
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cameroncairnduff
• TikTok: tiktok.com/@camcairnduff
• Facebook: facebook.com/cameronfilms
• YouTube: youtube.com/@camcairnduff

This episode is proudly supported by:

Alderney Electricity
Powering our island and supporting the community that keeps Alderney moving.
http://alderney-elec.com

Bell & Co
Trusted local experts for renting, buying or relocating to Alderney.
http://bellandcoalderney.com

Channel Seaways
Keeping Alderney supplied, connected and running every single day.
https://www.channelseaways.gg

Today I’m talking to a woman who has seen more of war, medicine and human resilience than most of us could ever imagine – and still chooses to spend her mornings swimming in the freezing Alderney sea for fun.

Dr Sally Simmons is a Royal Navy veteran who served as a nurse during the Falklands War, treated burned sailors on hospital ship Uganda, later became an Army doctor in Northern Ireland, and went on to help steer Alderney through COVID as Clinical Director of the Island Medical Centre.

She’s also a diving medicine specialist, Isle of Man TT doctor, motorbike rider, semi-retired GP, sea swimmer and now a budding novelist.

In this episode we talk about:
• Sailing to war in dress uniform
• Treating horrific burns on board Uganda
• Flying with bomb disposal teams in Northern Ireland
• What really happens when you come home from conflict
• Breaking her neck after “one margarita too many”
• Alderney’s alcohol and ageing problem
• How the island handled COVID
• Why she still throws herself into cold water and fast bikes

Sally tells these stories with warmth, humour and a steady calm that only comes from a lifetime of service. You’ll get a lot from this one.

Listen on Apple Podcasts:
http://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/...

Listen on Spotify:
http://open.spotify.com/show/7lHojlnW...

Instagram: /camcairnduff
LinkedIn: /cameroncairnduff
TikTok: /camcairnduff
Facebook: /cameronfilms
YouTube: @camcairnduff

LET’S CONNECT 👇

This episode is proudly supported by

Alderney Electricity
Thank you to Alderney Electricity for powering our island and supporting community stories like this one. Behind every light switch is a team of electricians, engineers and administrators quietly keeping Alderney moving.
http://alderney-elec.com

Bell & Co
Thank you to Bell & Co for supporting CamTalks. If you’re looking to rent, buy or relocate to Alderney, they’re the trusted local experts who make island life possible.
http://bellandcoalderney.com

Today I’m talking to a man who’s lived a life that belongs in ten different films stitched together with duct tape.

Colin Prescott is a ballooning pioneer, record-chaser, movie stunt coordinator and the only person I know who introduced Richard Branson to ballooning… and immediately regretted it.

He’s flown around the world for 18 days straight, ditched into the Pacific Ocean, hung under helicopters for Bond films and trained as a cosmonaut to reach the edge of space. Yet somehow he also ended up here on Alderney, the tiny island that quietly stole his heart.

From launching the only hot air balloon ever flown from the island, to the eerie coincidence of meeting a woman who now lives in the exact house he grew up in, Colin’s life is threaded with the kind of magic this place specialises in.

He tells these stories with the calmness of someone ordering a cup of tea. An entire lifetime of danger, invention and accidental comedy delivered with a gentle smile.

You’re going to love this one.

LET’S CONNECT 👇

Listen on Apple Podcasts:
http://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/camtalks/id1479296317

Listen on Spotify:
http://open.spotify.com/show/7lHojlnWyTUneaEpkcBgKS?si=09035669ff454537

Instagram:
http://instagram.com/camcairnduff

LinkedIn:
http://linkedin.com/in/cameroncairnduff

TikTok:
http://tiktok.com/@camcairnduff

Facebook:
http://facebook.com/cameronfilms

YouTube:
http://youtube.com/@camcairnduff

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island. bellandcoalderney.comIn partnership with Alderney Electricity Ltd — powering our community and helping keep Alderney’s lights on. alderney-elec.comRobert McDowall has been called a Marmite character on Alderney — loved by some, disagreed with by others, but always impossible to ignore. A former States Member, a veteran of global finance, and the man who nearly launched a Royal Mint Bitcoin coin for Alderney, Robert joins me for a conversation that pulls back the curtain on money, power and the island’s future.We talk about his upbringing, his rise through London’s financial world, the birth of offshore banking, and his time in Alderney politics. Robert shares why he pushed to reform pensions, modernise company law and unbundle Alderney’s real financial contribution to Guernsey. He also tells the full story of the Bitcoin coin that made the front page of the FT — and why it was shut down.We dive into AI, universal basic income, the 2008 crash, folklore, witchcraft, smuggling stories and his view that Alderney risks becoming an “environmental monastery” if it doesn’t look outward. It’s honest, wide-ranging and full of moments that reveal the man behind the reputation.A deep and fascinating conversation about leadership, controversy and why small islands need big ideas.---LET’S CONNECT 👇📸 Instagram:/camcairnduff💬 Facebook:/camcairnduff💼 LinkedIn:/cameroncairnduff🎵 TikTok:/camcairnduff📺 YouTube:@camcairnduff

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island.bellandcoalderney.comIn partnership with Alderney Electricity Ltd — powering our community and helping keep Alderney’s lights on.alderney-elec.comSteve Roberts has spent a lifetime capturing Alderney’s spirit through music, friendship and laughter. A former Alderney resident, musician, and storyteller at heart, Steve returns to share tales of growing up on the island, playing in local bands, and the deep connection that’s never quite left him — even after years away.In this episode, we talk about Alderney’s music scene in its heyday, the characters who shaped the island’s culture, and the bittersweet pull of coming home. Steve opens up about finding belonging through song, his memories of island nights that turned into lifelong stories, and how Alderney still calls to him after all these years.It’s a nostalgic and uplifting conversation about roots, rhythm, and remembering where you came from — a reminder that home isn’t just a place, it’s the people and moments that stay with you forever.LET’S CONNECT 👇🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/🎧 Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/7lHojlnW...📸 Instagram:/camcairnduff💼 LinkedIn:/cameroncairnduff🎵 TikTok:/camcairnduff📺 YouTube:@camcairnduff

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island.http://bellandcoalderney.comJo Corder (ex Woodnutt) grew up on Alderney — the daughter of one of the island’s most recognisable families — and has now returned to raise her own. A vet, mother, and nature lover, Jo shares her story of leaving Alderney to study, building a career in animal care, and eventually coming home to rediscover what community really means.In this episode, we talk about growing up on the island, the pressures of living up to family expectations, the challenges of being a vet, and how motherhood reshapes your sense of purpose. Jo also shares the unlikely story of meeting her husband Ian online, getting married on Arch, and building a life filled with family, laughter, and home-grown vegetables.It’s a heartfelt conversation about identity, family legacy, and the quiet power of island life — where community is everything, and happiness comes from the simplest things.LET’S CONNECT 👇🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/🎧 Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/7lHojlnW...📸 Instagram:/camcairnduff💼 LinkedIn:/cameroncairnduff🎵 TikTok:/camcairnduff📺 YouTube:@camcairnduff

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island. http://bellandcoalderney.com

Ian Taylor has lived a life few could imagine. From global travel and high-stakes export deals to surviving cancer, losing everything, and rebuilding it all — his story is a masterclass in resilience and humour.

Now semi-retired and based on Alderney, Ian is a breakfast presenter on Riduna Radio and one of the driving forces behind Riduna Fest, the island’s new music festival. In this conversation, he opens up about growing up on Alderney, his father’s legacy, near-death experiences, the magic of community life, and why “semi-retired” really means busier than ever.

We talk about surviving terminal illness, building a business from scratch, meeting his wife V online, the birth of Riduna Radio, and his mission to bring big-stage energy to Alderney with Riduna Fest.

It’s a conversation about laughter, legacy, and living every day as if it’s borrowed time.

LET’S CONNECT 👇

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

http://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/camtalks/id1479296317

Listen on Spotify:

http://open.spotify.com/show/7lHojlnWyTUneaEpkcBgKS?si=09035669ff454537

Instagram:

http://instagram.com/camcairnduff

LinkedIn:

http://linkedin.com/in/cameroncairnduff

TikTok:

http://tiktok.com/@camcairnduff

Facebook:

http://facebook.com/cameronfilms

YouTube:

http://youtube.com/@camcairnduff

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island.http://bellandcoalderney.com

Tess Woodnutt might just be Alderney’s busiest woman. She first arrived on the island by accident as a child, fell in love through her family’s sailing adventures, and somehow never left.

Today she’s a picture framer, pig farmer, sailor, radiographer, and one of those people who keeps the island quietly turning — whether it’s through the Sailing Club, the Alderney Theatre Group, or just lending a hand where it’s needed.

In this episode, Tess shares her story of raising two children born and bred on Alderney, and what it’s really like to live a full, creative, hands-on life on an island barely three miles long.

We talk about her approach to DIY, her belief in healthy, sustainable living, and the unspoken magic of a community where everyone wears ten hats — sometimes all at once.It’s a conversation about independence, belonging, and finding joy in the small, beautiful rhythms of island life.

LET’S CONNECT 👇

Listen on Apple Podcasts:http://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/camtalks/id1479296317

Listen on Spotify:http://open.spotify.com/show/7lHojlnWyTUneaEpkcBgKS?si=09035669ff454537

Instagram:http://instagram.com/camcairnduffLinkedIn:http://linkedin.com/in/cameroncairnduff

TikTok:http://tiktok.com/@camcairnduff

Facebook:http://facebook.com/cameronfilms

YouTube:http://youtube.com/@camcairnduff